


for those with less common sense than a bull

by Missy



Category: A League of Their Own (1992)
Genre: Baseball, F/M, First Kiss, Huddling For Warmth, Humor, Romance, Snowed In
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:27:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27972332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missy/pseuds/Missy
Summary: Dottie gets stuck in a dugout during a mid-winter practice session blizzard.  Jimmy rescues her, banter ensues - but could there be more lying beneath their barbed words.
Relationships: Jimmy Dugan/Dottie Hinson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8
Collections: Yuletide Madness 2020





	for those with less common sense than a bull

**Author's Note:**

  * For [elegantstupidity](https://archiveofourown.org/users/elegantstupidity/gifts).



Jimmy didn’t even bother with niceties when he spied her sitting there in the dugout, her chin propped up against her knees, shivering in the snowstorm. “What the hell are you doing out here? Kit’s worried sick!”

“I…” Dottie’s teeth rattled against one another, and she pulled her scarf over her head as she shouted to be heard over the howl of the wind. “I wanted to get more practice in before the snow cut through. It didn’t look that bad before the squall cut through.” Everyone knew blizzards were unpredictable. She could remember her parents shuddering as they spoke about the Armistice Day blizzard, which had killed over a hundred people only a few years before. “And if Kit’s so worried, why didn’t she come get me herself?”

“Hinson,” he said, stomping through the drifts and into the dugout, his hands on his hips, “if you freeze to death all the practice in the world won’t help you. I’ll have to throw you at Kettle Kate Marlowe instead of you throwing the ball.”

The mental image almost made Dottie laugh aloud. Almost. “I’m not a kid, and we’re not going anywhere until this storm’s over.” She grabbed him by the shoulder and – struggling under the weight of blankets and pack – Jimmy stumbled into the relative shelter of the dugout.

Part of Dottie felt a little guilty that she’d annoyed her sister, but she’d needed the private time. Kit was visiting for the holiday, on her way to seeing their folks, a trip that Dottie wanted to avoid.

To tell the truth, Dottie _liked_ being in Rockford, where she could stand in her own spotlight, spend all night throwing balls or catching them, then have a hearty meal and sleep under a thick down quilt. It was all the best parts of being alive and all the most wonderful parts of being independent – and, on top of it all, she could go anywhere, do anything, without being spied on by the league.

“Want to play cards?” Jimmy asked.

“You’d cheat,” she said.

“I happen to know what I’m doing with a deck of cards,” he said arrogantly. “No cheating needed.”

“My fingers won’t work,” she said, flexing them in the cold.

“See? Your pitching hand’s going to fall off in this storm.” He grabbed her hand and gently worked it against the cold air. Dottie allowed it for a moment, two more, enjoying the fleeting contact but still battling away from it. When she shoved her hand into his pocket he let out a surprised growl.

“Just to keep my fingers warm,” Dottie explained. And then he leaned into her side – probably, she thought, grunting at his weight, for revenge.

It was comfortable, huddling like this with Jimmy. He smelled good – like coffee and sweat, and a hint of spicy aftershave that hadn’t worn off of his skin over the day.

“I was right about that call I made in the Saint Louis game,” he said. “We should’ve never put Mae back in the outfield.”

“The sun got in her eyes,” said Dottie. “If she’d kept her head down…”

“The woman always has one eye on the ball and the other on the stands. She’s got talent but she’s distracted too easily.”

They stared each other down. He seemed to be waiting for her to punch him, but instead she grabbed him by the ears and planted a kiss upon his lips.

She kissed his lips. He kissed her back. 

“Snow’s stopping,” he said.

“Do you care?” she asked.

He plucked the scarf from her head and threw it into the wind in response.


End file.
